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The 4th International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) 2018, supported by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, organised by International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), kick starts on Sunday at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in Delhi. The season 4 of the world’s biggest culinary Olympiad will be concluded on February 2 with different rounds being held at Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and the grand finale will be held in Kolkata. YCO 2018 assures to be a much greater event in scale and grandeur. With over 50 countries participating at the culinary extravaganza, YCO 2018 will definitely attract eyeballs. Kenyan student Vivian Asiyo Aketch and her Lecturer Chef David Kariuki at the ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: tripzilla The Philippines stands to gain in the influx of more Chinese visitors with the first-ever direct charter flight from Xiamen (XMN), a coastal city in Fujian Province of China to Puerto Princesa City (PSS), Palawan starting next month. The Department of Tourism (DoT) paved the way for the creation of the XMN-PPS route which will be launched by February 10 by C&D Travel Service China, a charter operator based in Xiamen, with Philippine Airline (PAL) as the partner carrier. “We continue to welcome more Chinese tourists to the country as part of the improved diplomatic relationship between Manila ... Read more

Acclaimed *Ottanthulal artist Kalamandalam Geethanandan died on Sunday around 8 pm while performing at Avittathur Mahavishnu Temple at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur, Kerala. The 58-year-old, who had performed on more than 5,000 stages in India and abroad, collapsed on the stage and died during a stage performance. He was given first aid and taken to a hospital, but could not be saved. Geethanandan had been a faculty member at the Kalamandalam’s Ottanthulal department for more than 25 years. Geethanandan has also acted in many movies including Kamaladalam, Manasinakkare, Thoovalkottaram and Irattakuttikalude Achan. He won Veerasringala and Thullal Kalanidhi award and was the first artist ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: dubaitour The Dubai Tour, Dubai’s biggest cycling race, is back from 6-10 February, for its fifth edition. The race will see teams of cyclists from all over the world flocking to Dubai to take part. There will be five days of races that will see them cycling more than 850 km all over the UAE – through Hatta, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah. All five races will start off at Skydive Dubai, which is where this year’s Dubai Tour fan village will be based. Photo Courtesy: dubaitour Taking part in the Dubai Tour 2018 will be 16 ... Read more

Iran plans to promote Youth Tourism after the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, the event organized under the Cultural Heritage Handicraft and Tourism Organization of the country mainly focusing the youth and children as the key players behind travel. Pouyan Qaem-Maqami, executive director of the national base for youth tourism told that ‘the country would conduct touring camps for youth as well as recreational programs that will introduce Iran’s natural and historic attraction among youth as well as children. Youth tourism, nowadays, is the fastest growing segment of the industry that includes cheaper accommodation, customised travel for backpackers, educational travelling etc. ... Read more

Dubai breaks another world record by making “the largest cup of hot tea”. The “tea cup” has a height of 3.66 metres, a top inner diameter of 1.42 metres, and is capable of holding a volume of 5,000 litres. A total of 120 chefs participated in the challenge at Global Village on Thursday. 155 kilograms of tea-leaf powder, 270 kilograms of milk powder, 360 kilograms of sugar, ginger and cinnamon were used to fill the cup. Mixed with 5,000 litres of water in 60 pots, the tea was brewed for several hours to create the best possible and authentic taste. ... Read more

Sheikha Hessa bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the mother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, has died. UAE would observe three days of mourning beginning Sunday. Sheikha Hessa was the first wife of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE when the federation of seven sheikhdoms became a country in 1971. She gave birth in 1948 to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who became president after Sheikh Zayed’s death in 2004. Sheikh Khalifa is also the ruler of oil-rich Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

The Yard, a new urban space opens at Al Khawaneej area in Dubai. The Yard was open to public on January 25, 2018. Encompassing Last Exit D89, the trendy hipster food truck, which launched in 2017 as an initial phase, The Yard features minimalistc, contemporary design to suit the urban needs. The Yard is billed as a ‘suburban hideaway’.  

The Chief Minister of Assam Sarbanand Sonwal P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi inaugurated the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Integrated Terminal Building at LGBI airport in Guwahati. “Guwahati, our jewel of pride in the North-East, is all set to emerge as an aviation hub, augmenting the much needed capacity in the region,” said Ashok Gajapathi after the foundation stone laying ceremony. The terminal consists of the departure lobby, waiting lounge, check-in counters and boarding lobby. “This new terminal building will further boost regional and South East Asian connectivity,” said Sarbanand.

The Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) has decided to fund a new feature film ‘Unread Pages’ directed by Jahnu Barua. The first film under the state tourism policy will be produced jointly by Hollywood-based Ivanhoe Pictures and Mumbai-based Easterly Entertainment. The film’s main aim is to give exposure to the scenic beauty of Assam on an international platform. It will also be an official announcement of an India-US co-production of a story from Assam for an international audience. It will also be Barua’s first international film. The film, which will be both in Assamese and English, is said to be ... Read more

Telangana government is planning to set up amphitheatre, tribal museum, food court and cottages at Medaram and develop it as a permanent tourist destination. The State government had already brought up Haritha tourism hotel for Rs 7.5 crore and tribal museum for Rs 2 crore. “The tourists are coming to Medaram all along the year hence it has been decided to develop Medaram as permanent tourist attraction. We will bring up amphitheatre, tribal museum, food court, cottages for VIPs etc,” said Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari. Photo Courtesy: Telanganatoday The Museum would showcase the story of Sammakka and Sarlamma. About ... Read more

Yamunotri. Photo Courtesy: wiki The ancient route to Char Dham in Uttarakhand, which is said to have been used by the Pandavas of the Mahabharata some 3,000 years ago, is to be revived. The Char Dham are four places (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram) which is considered to be the places which will help them attain nirvana. The ancient pilgrim sites in Uttarakhand such as Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are considered chota Char Dham. The government plans to revive the ancient trekking trail that is said to have been used 3,000 years ago by the Pandavas, the five protagonist brothers ... Read more

International tourist arrivals grew by 7 per cent in 2017 to a total of 1,322 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of 4 per cent-5 per cent. Photo Courtesy: TopYaps@topyaps Based on data reported by destinations around the world, it is estimated that international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) worldwide increased 7 per cent in 2017. This is well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4 per cent or higher growth since 2010 and represents the strongest results in seven years. Led by Mediterranean destinations, ... Read more

Visit Malaysia Year 2020 promotion campaign was officially launched in conjunction with ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2018 at Chiang Mai, Thailand. Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz launched the Visit Malaysia 2020 promotion campaign for the first time at the ASEAN Tourism Forum. He also took the opportunity to unveil the official logo of Visit Malaysia 2020, a colourful portrayal of Malaysia’s treasured flora and fauna. The event was held during a business lunch hosted for international tourism trade buyers and media attending the forum at the Chiang Mai International Convention Centre (CMECC). “These next ... Read more

Turkey announced their new year 2018 as ‘The year of Troy’, with respect to celebrating the 20th anniversary of adding the old city of Canakkale on the UNESCO world heritage. Though Turkey has adopted various other possibilities in the field of tourism such as promoting their local cuisine, they have come up with a new approach to waking the global audience through the opening of Troy museum. The movie, which was a 2004 blockbuster and has fans from all over the world, generated with its distinctive characters featuring the history of Trojan War. The Turkish government thus predicts to draw ... Read more